Graduates given application advice by recruitment CEO

A leading recruitment expert has advised graduates on how to deal with the increasingly competitive nature of applying for graduate schemes.

In an interview with the Times Carl Gilleard, chief executive of the Association of Graduate Recruiters, argued that not only is it a challenging time for graduates, but also recruiters who have to whittle down vast shortlists to a few candidates when choosing who they enrol on graduate schemes.

He told the paper: "The challenge for employers, as ever, is going to be finding the right candidates from among these applications.

"For graduates the challenge will be dealing with much-increased competition, and the key to that is research, research and more research."

Mr Gilleard also offered up the timeless graduate recruitment advice of ensuring that candidates know who and what they are applying for and make sure they submit "only the highest-quality applications" as fatal errors and spelling mistakes can be costly.

Firms across the UK are currently working through graduate job applications which have massively increased due to the recession.